Why it's time to panic about Houston Texans' defense after Week 7 loss originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The Houston Texans made a big move to acquire Marvin Harrison Jr. after their first win of the year over the Tennessee Titans to get them to 1-4. They then beat the Jacksonville Jaguars the next week to get to 2-4 for the year.
However, their momentum hit an abrupt halt in Week 7, as they lost to the J.J. McCarthy-led New York Giants, dropping to 2-5. That loss to the Giants made one thing clear: it's time to panic in Houston.
ESPN's DJ Bien-Aime highlighted how it's finally time to panic about the Texans' defense. After a brutal loss to the Giants in Week 7, the defensive issue cannot keep being ignored at this point.
Texans should start panicking about struggling defense after Week 7 loss
"Is Houston's defense just bad? The Texans have allowed at least 27 points in four outings this season," Bien-Aime writes. "And it wasn't only against upper-echelon quarterbacks; on Sunday it was against McCarthy in his first start as a Giant. It's panic time in Houston."
As the saying goes, "Houston, we have a problem." That's exactly what's happening within the Texans' defense through the first seven weeks of the season.
If this were a one-off issue for the Texans, as in it was one bad game against a team that got hot, it would be worrisome, but nothing to panic over.
However, this Texans' defense has struggled too often this year. They've given up 36 points to the Buffalo Bills, 20 points to the Cincinnati Bengals, 19 points to the Indianapolis Colts, and 34 points to the Dallas Cowboys.
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Then, in their first win of the year, they held the Tennessee Titans to just three points. Unfortunately, they followed it up by allowing 31 points to the Jacksonville Jaguars (albeit in a win), and finally giving up 27 points in an overtime loss to the Giants.
Their defensive schedule is very easy coming out of the bye in Week 8, facing the Los Angeles Chargers, Cleveland Browns, and the Colts after their trade-deadline fire sale is complete.
If the Texans can't figure things out, then there will be no hope for this Texans team in 2026. There's already plenty of concern for the Texans this season, especially at 2-5 through seven weeks.
Ironically, unlike in 2025, the Texans' offense isn't an issue. C.J. Stroud is playing much better this year, whereas the defense has taken a huge step back.
Their pass defense has been poor, and there's a real reason to worry about this defense going forward. As Bien-Aime writes, it's time to panic about the Houston defense.
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